By all accounts, Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) didn't need to win today's 29km ITT in Branson to insure that the 2007 season would be his best to date.The win, his 5th victory in the race of truth this year, came on the heels of his second US National Championship jersey [his first in the Road Race; the other coming in 1999 with Saturn] and podium placings in both the Deutschland Tour and the Tour de France.
Leipheimer (Photo: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us), who returned to an American team this year after 4 years of riding for the likes of Rabobank and Gerolsteiner, has benefitted mightily from the comforts of training in his hometown of Santa Rosa, CA and racing for an American team.People speak of the intangibles in sports all the time. In Levi case, comfort, familiarity, and stability have seemed intimately tied to his recent successes. Perhaps Jane Austen captured this essence best in saying, "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
Unfortunately, like all the riders of Discovery Channel, Levi will have to ply his trade elsewhere next year, and most likely for a European team. In other words, he won't be afforded the opportunity to continue his winning regimen because of a business decision. If you're wondering where the beautiful sport went, its in the hands of sponsors & governing bodies.
After 3 stages, teammate George Hincapie holds a comfortable lead, finishing in 6th on the day, 2.07 back of Levi.
Leipheimer is going to Astana to ride for his current boss.
ReplyDeletethanks anon...hadn't seen any news the that effect, but if true that whole team could be a mix of former t-mobile, once (liberty) and discovery riders...but I frankly don't see it especially with the cloud Astana is operating under...if you were Levi would you risk going to a team that might be banned from racing certain races, especially at his age?
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